Save the Net Nationwide .... CLEAN FEED

As Australia has already begun the testing phase of its new plan to have ISPs filter the Internet of "inappropriate content" and "offensive and illegal material," it's now being reported that the Labor government "blacklist" has already been compiled and will begin with some 1300 sites, moving towards 10,000 and beyond.

"The pilot will specifically test filtering against the ACMA blacklist of prohibited content, which is child pornography, as well as filtering of other unwanted content," Broadband Minister Stephen Conroy.

"While the ACMA blacklist is currently around 1300 URLs, the pilot will test against this list - as well as filtering for a range of URLs to around 10,000 - so that the impacts on network performance of a larger blacklist can be examined."

Many are rightly upset with the plan because not only is the plan mandatory, but it also means that a govt bureaucrat will be the one determining what sites are included. It's his decision and his alone that determines what is "unwanted content."

"Conroy said the list would contain illegal and unwanted content but we still have to see what would end up on that list," said Electronic Frontiers Australia board member Colin Jacobs. "Under the current mandate that includes adult material, which would mean most material that could be rated R and, in some circumstances, material rated MA15+."

The plan would try to turn the Internet into a G-rated version that really doesn't make anybody safer in the end. It's also entirely ineffective because it will never be able to sanitize the Internet of "unwanted" or "inappropriate content." Surely we are all able to close a screen or avoid a website if we are offended by certain content. I do it with comercial TV, and Junk Mail.

It's even dumber for Senator Conroy to think the plan is even possible, especially with a recent trial of the web-filtering technology showing that it slowed down Internet access by as much as 87% it doesn't bode well for Australian Internet users. And to think we were all falling for that pre election ramble of "Upgrading Australia's internet services to world standards and elevated broadband speeds."

Moreover, allowing the govt to begin censoring the Internet is a draconian effort to impose the morality of Senator Conroy and the suits like him, on an entire country. How did we suddenly go from being the free and fun loving country, to being a policed state, worse than mainland China, where Big Brother gets to decide what we must deem safe and informative reality..... this will not be tolerated. I hope each and everyone of you shaking your head right now, throwing your hands up in the air, actually cares enough to do something, anything, about this. don't wait for your rights to be long gone. think of how this is all going. Inform yourself and your fellow users, take time to voice your opinions in the various ways which show, we are here, we are the majority, and this is not acceptable.

SOURCE
jared@zeropaid.com

Inform, Empower, Make A Difference
NO CLEAN FEED
STOP THE CLEAN FEED
BLOG NCF
EFA
CONTACT THE MINISTER
CONTACT YOUR ISP

Hit the streets on Saturday 13th December in nationwide protests against this internet censorship. National protests are being planned to increase awareness of the filtering plan and let the politicians know what we think of it.

Perth Protest:
Date: Saturday 13th of December
Location: Stirling Gardens
Time: 12:00pm - 3:00pm

This Weeks Dose Of BS !

In all the instances of complete bull$%@t! coming from the mass media these days, this article just takes the cake. if this aint 50s corporate propaganda, forcing us to watch out for the boogie men and act like good girls and boys, then i dont know what is..... SMH News Story :


"Cinema 'Cops' Deploy Night Vision Devices"

In response to an increase in pirated movie recordings coming out of Australia, the copyright police are patrolling cinemas with night vision devices - and it's not just commercial pirates they're after. Movie studios are providing the scopes to cinema ushers across the country and "training them in how to spot people illegally taping films using camcorders and even mobile phones.

After Village Roadshow successfully implemented the technology to prevent pirated copies of The Dark Knight making their way on to the internet, 20th Century Fox has adopted it for Baz Luhrmann's "Australia", which opens today.

* ok firstly, "increase in pirated movie recordings coming out of Australia" ? last time i checked we are near last on the world scale for actually having movies appear in cinemas on debut world wide, this too goes for DVD releases. hence .... everyone knows that if you want to see a flick, you download the version that came out in the states 3 weeks ago and has been on the web way before any 12 year old gets a chance to whip out his mobile in an ozzie cinema.

Neil Gane, director of operations at the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT), said the night vision scopes would be deployed at the majority of the 304 Australian cinemas. He said the film industry had become concerned over the past few months as "a number of big name movies that were the first to appear on the internet have been forensically matched to cinemas in Australia".

He would not name the movies, citing ongoing investigations, but said that, for a number of years, movie studios had been adding "unique forensic markers" to film prints distributed to theatres.

* wait a second .. "forensically matched to cinemas in Australia" ? your not seriously falling for this one are ya? wake up and smell the coffee already. this is pure and utter crap, dreamt up by organisations who are government funded, and would rather spend billions in protecting the latest release of "Australia" by spilling a scare tatic news story in the Herald.

come on, we all know where to get our new release movies. it aint from Australia, and it surely aint from a kid saving it on his 3 mega pixel phone cam. the sad thing is, most of the time the TS releases of "cinema films" from overseas appearing on the net are actually recorded in the projection booths by employees on debut night. what i would like to know is who creates organisations like the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT), and how do they keep people employed?

* slowly going the way of the stars and stripes. watch out for those CCTV cams, you might be caught over thinking your reality, and thats gotta be a crime.



What a crock of "scare tactics 101" how about they fund Cinema seat repairs instead of this trash. Digital downloads just keep eating away at their greedy pockets, and yet they still fail to grasp the concept. embrace the internet and deliver us digital movies at a reasonable cost, when i want, and with no DRM restrictions. i'll pay for whats worth my dollar, minus the 12 year olds throwing popcorn.

It Starts With One ...

I started hearing about the "missing feet" incidents on the western BC, Canadian shores around the start of this year. not paying too much attention. we travelled through Vancouver earlier this year and id have to say all went well. the place felt safe. now i wonder, was it such a smart thing for me to have been walking alone through Stanely park for 3 hours? the mind boggles, as the seventh severed human foot has now been discovered around the Canadian coast. the mystery deepens.

THE CANADIAN PRESS : RICHMOND, B.C.— A couple walking their dogs along the banks of British Columbia’s Fraser River made what appears to be the latest in a series of gruesome discoveries of a running shoe with a severed foot inside. It’s the seventh such find inside a shoe along the West Coast from Georgia Strait to the northwestern tip of Washington State since August 2007.

RCMP Const. Annie Linteau confirmed Wednesday that remains were inside a left-foot New Balance runner spotted the previous day, but said it would be some time before the B.C. Coroner’s office could confirm if the remains are human.

Ken Johnson and his wife spotted the shoe while walking their dogs Tuesday along the Fraser River in the Vancouver suburb of Richmond. Police have determined that two of the seven feet - one found Feb. 8 on Valdez Island and the other found June 16 off Richmond - are a match. DNA testing linked one foot to a depressed man who disappeared in 2007 but the other remains have not been identified.

ok ok, the comic strip is in there for pure laughs. ... kinda reminds me of a mix of an X-Files + Fargo + Northern Exposure episode.... gone wrong

THE STAR .COM

War Is Over, If You Want It ....

A group of pranksters handed out more than 1.2 million fake New York Times newspapers mainly in New York City and Los Angeles on Wednesday with a front page story declaring "Iraq War Ends". The elaborate 14-page edition, dated July 4, 2009, is said to be the work of a group called the Yes Men, whose previous hoaxes include masquerading as World Trade Organisation officials announcing they were disbanding the body.

"It is fake and we are looking into it," said New York Times spokeswoman Catherine Mathis.

A statement sent from a website set up for the fake edition, www.nytimes-se.com, said creating the newspaper took six months and that it was printed at six different presses and then given to thousands of volunteers to distribute.

"We've got to make sure Obama and all the other Democrats do what we elected them to do," Bertha Suttner, identified as one of the newspaper's writers, said in the statement. "After eight, or maybe twenty-eight years of hell, we need to start imagining heaven."

One side of me cries saying, yeh stick it to em, make em think.... the other side of me wonders, is this the best we can friggin do nowdays? what attention does this really get. then again, i guess we're all too comatose to even care.

SMH

Been A While ...

Been a while i know. truth is it both feels like a year has passed, and then only 36 hours in the same breath. time is just bending. truth is i really havent felt like posting much here because, there hasnt been much change for me, yet everything else is moving. i still hear that sound, every now and then.

Taking each day one rise at a time. somedays i think im just going to solve it all, somedays i know its all spun round already. somedays the leg feels like it was better than the last. somedays i wonder if it will ever be right. if i will ever be able to fix it. then i remember where i was 4 weeks ago. 8 weeks ago.

For now my only concern is walking. full stop. ive worried about other things for too long. i just dont have the energy or patience anymore, right now. i need to get back to where i was, before i can move, and right now that seems reasonable. to those that stop by here still, thanks, you know who you are, and you know your the ones that matter. im trying to push more these days so come back, there will be more news. moving house. new jobs, old jobs, new travel adventures. maybe's

glad the summers here.

Alaskan Glaciers Grow For First Time In 250 Years ...

Plans to implement a worldwide carbon tax in the name of saving the planet from global warming have taken another blow after it was revealed that Alaskan glaciers have grown for the first time in 250 years after an abnormally cool summer.

Evidence that the planet is tip-toeing towards the onset of a new mini ice age continues to present itself following unprecedented ice storms in Kenya as well as Sydney experiencing its coldest August for 60 years.

The cold snap arrives on the back of the Sun reaching a milestone not observed in nearly 100 years - the entire month of August passed without a single sunspot being noted. ... Are you confused yet? Full story below. A quick thanks to family and friends over the last couple of weeks for their help whilst my leg continues to heal. Cya again soon Miguel. Told ya i was good for my promise.

INFOWARS

Its The End Of The World As We Know It ... And I Feel Fine

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a 27 kilometer (17 mile) long particle accelerator straddling the border of Switzerland and France, is nearly set to begin its first particle beam tests. The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is preparing for its first small tests in early August, leading to a planned full-track test in September - and the first planned particle collisions before the end of the year. The final step before starting is the chilling of the entire collider to -271.25 C (-456.25 F). Here is a collection of photographs from CERN, showing various stages of completion of the LHC and several of its larger experiments (some over seven stories tall), over the past several years.

Im surprised Miguel has been so quiet round here, and didn't want to pitch in his 2 cents for this one :) in fact, no one even picked up on the REM song reference. come on people, what more important things are happening than tuning in here ... ahh I kid, I kid.

Updated September 15, 2008 - It was last week on Wednesday, September 10, 2008, near Geneva, Switzerland, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) fired only a single beam of protons around the 17-mile-long underground circular tunnel - not two beams of protons hitting head-to-head near the speed of light.

Two reasons: First, LHC wanted to test hardware and magnets first. Second, shortly after the firing, computer hackers broke into the computers connected to the Compact Muon Solenoid Detector (CMSD) and left this message: “We're pulling your pants down because we don't want to see you running around naked looking to hide yourselves when the panic comes.”

Physicist Joseph Lykken heads the CMSD science team and told me today that the hackers themselves closed the “hacked doorway” through which they entered. Further, none of the computers controlling the actual LHC proton beam collisions have any connections to the outside world for precisely the reason to prevent hackers from interfering with such a powerful laboratory as the LHC.

EARTHFILES.COM
BOSTON.COM
CERN HOMEPAGE










they must have blown they're budget on the LHC, they couldnt even give this poor worker a proper desk and an LCD screen. Come on fella's! :)

9/11: The Third Tower ...

Miguel put me onto this a few days ago, and im just throwing it out here quickly as a reminder for all and myself. obviously lately ive had a few things on my brain, but a current affairs still grip me to the core and issues surrounding 911, this new generation of false terrorism, global elites and the nitty gritty behind the headlines are what we need to be waking up to.

Think and read, investigate and make your own conclusions. this latest doco may be late on the horizon here for us Aussies who don't download alot, but the questions should be timeless, until we know the truth. check it out.

ABC 1 TV
Seven years on, the destruction of New York's Twin Towers, played and replayed thousands of times over, is seared into collective memory.

A third skyscraper also fell that day. Unlike the Twin Towers, the 47-storey building known as Tower Seven was not hit by a fuel-laden plane, yet it collapsed neatly in 6.5 seconds.

The official explanation is that it was destroyed by fire. But in the seven years it has taken to present the final investigation report, suspicion has filled the information vacuum. Tower Seven has fed an industry of conspiracy theories that grew up around 9/11. Claims are pressed – by a phenomenally popular movie on the Internet and by supposedly credible "experts" – that someone in or close to the US Government brought the building down by controlled demolition.

How, among the many questions they ask, could Tower Seven be the first and only steel-framed skyscraper in the world to collapse due to fire? Why did the New York fire department not fight the fires? Why did it fall so symmetrically at freefall speed? Why did TV stations report that Tower Seven had collapsed before it had done so, when it was still clearly visibly behind reporters?

This BBC documentary explores some of these questions. In doing so it demonstrates how, when good information is scarce, or late, many people will believe the worst. 9/11: The Third Tower" – on Four Corners 8.30 pm Monday 8 September and 11.35 pm Tuesday 9 September (also 8am Tuesday on ABC2). Think for yourself.

Roll On Roll On ...

Leg feels quite good, considering ive got a 50cm steel pin through it haha. today was probably the first time i could actually move round without a great deal of pain, or need for painkillers. so all in all i think a speedy recovery is on the cards towards October. and we all know what happens in October :)

I'm off again, this time to Melbourne for a day and then onwards to spend a week with family up in Bairnsdale, round the Eastern Gipsland, Lakes Entrance area. this little venture was promised and organised way before anything, even the world trip, so here i am saying "It's still on"! I'm heading over to visit my uncle and aunty (Mike and Gayle) who are fantastic people, owning and running their own bed and breakfast and local bookstore in the community. i share a great respect and friendship with my uncle who tends to think outside the square, and arrives at many subjects and conclusions i find most interesting. more than a relative, a good friend and confidant who has always been but a phone call away to support me and lend words of wisdom and comedic relief. we don't get over to see you as often as we all should Miguel, but if i can be the spark, the others will follow im sure.

So prepare yourself down there in Victoria, im coming back, and this time im bringing enough stories to keep the cows awake for many an hour. i can't say how much ive been looking forward to this for well over 18 months, and now seems the right time more than ever. for some period there, it was all i had left to look forward to, a goal to reach. and aint no bloody broken leg gonna stop me getting on a plane, i can assure you of that. hopefully i can walk by then, if not, you will just have to keep feeding me, and suppling the Corona :)

Thanks to all who helped organise this, and for the open welcome of staying there for a visit. i intend to pay this good will forward as soon as i can. take care all. ive included some shots of Melbourne and Bairnsdale town for the oversees viewers. adios.

So, What Exactly Did Happen ?

So im now out of hospital, feeling better, moving and boxing my life up for the next six months while i heal, walk again, save some cash and get a place to stay. the journey continues. ....

Not The Best Of Returns ....

Alot of you have been wondering where things have gotten to, how im doing and whats been happening of late. truth is, things have been rather dark and gloomy for the most part. a series of bad luck incidents and twists have really left me in a situation that at the start of the year, i tried so desperatly to avoid. planning it seems has kinda gone out the window.

So i've moved out from the Swan Valley, still planning to stay in Perth for a while as i now find my own feet again. the hardest thing about this scenario is that its come as another weight on parents shoulders which i feel extremly appologetic for. they have, and continue to support me in everyway and in anything i choose to do, and to have to reach out to them again is hard, and i can only thank them here, and in person, over and over again. it never goes un-noticed or un-appreciated. I hope someday I can repay this, or pay it forward.

Ive grabbed a few shots to wak on the blog of Perth, for the folks we met travelling in the states recently. thanks for all the emails guys, we must catch up again one day :)
Flickr Pics

Full Circle ...

Well where has the time gone eh, in some respects it all went too fast, in others it slowed to a snails pace, all in all it was great. i really can't believe another world trip is over and ive been away for only 5 weeks, it kinda feels longer, maybe because of the lag in flying all the way back round the globe to Perth.

To those that we met along the way, thank you for your friendships and good times, please stay in touch and our door is open anytime you decide to venture down under to this big brown land of Australia and come explore. no matter if your heading west or east, we can help you out. opposite to that, when we trek out again, if we are stopping through your home towns, be sure to have a cold beverage on hand. last but not least, thank you to our employers, and families who allowed us the opportunities to do this, without them all we would not be here. we are both so appreciative just to have great jobs to come back to.

I really can't explain what a fantastic journey it all was, and standouts for me would have to be Mexico and San Diego. those times will stay with me for a long time, and im so glad i got to venture into those jungles whilst i still can, and not at the age of 64. really thinking about getting back in 2012, Dec 21st, maybe see the new year in there ... maybe a new something. Canada was also great, however due to bad luck, bad weather and bad timing things weren't explored as much as possible. would love to go back, but bigger and new locations call first. California id have to say im kinda done with, America in general i guess, for a while ... however i have a strong urge to hop back for an east coast trip and or another Comic Con. but from an outside perspective, the US is heading into really god awful times, and i dont want to be involved in that.

Where next? well no concrete plans, i need to hit Melbourne preferably this year, but the bank is saying no lol, other than that, SE Asia, China, North Africa, the Moon. really looking forward to just getting back into the swing of things and re-appreciating the life we have in Perth. we live in an amazing place, you all just dont have any idea how lucky you have it. from owning homes, clean and healthy foods, safe medical centers, stable jobs, raising families in safe surrounds, still having strong and open connections with our heritage pasts .... being able to walk to the beach, the park, an open space, to breath clean air, to not have to worry about natural disasters taking away everything in a rumble or a swirl. take a moment and just be thankful. see you all on the other side.

Vancouver : Last Goodbye

Whistler : I Want Snow ...

This famous resort ski region is just 45 mins away via air from downtown Vancouver. its the site of the majority of the 2010 winter olympics and is bound to expand in size and world scope in the next few years... but is it ready?

After a story of setbacks to try and actually get up there, on the morning of our delayed flight, both Mark and I said to each other, should we just call it quits and forget trying to get around the closed rail line (Sea to Sky high way closed due to landslide) well this question would reappear numerous times and generally i guess we just should of stayed in Vancouver. after a delayed flight due to weather, we were only flown half way to Whistler and had to spend another hour on a bus ride up the mountains to get in (which we were not informed of until landing) so basically our first day in the place was gone, we arrived tired, hungry, angry and too late for alot of things, not to mention a hotel where we couldnt even check in till 4PM! oh did i mention the weather was pouring with rain and freezing outside. hello summer ......

Skip to day two, after hearing the phrase "This weather is extremely unusual for this time of year" over and over we were both ready to just hit the valley air and walk a trail for 3/4 of a day. we took a path into the surrounding base of Whistler and Blackcomb, round the village and golf course's, round Lost Lake, onto Green Lake and round again. boy was that a slog. harder too was trying to judge the weather. its still chilly up there (ice / hard pack snow is still on all the mountain peaks) and packing jumpers became tiresome half way through the walk.

Never the less the scenery is pristine and breathtaking. well cared for and maintained as are most things round here in general. trash, and the alike are all kept to a minimum, if nothing at all. i found it cool how they have special bins around here with kiddy safe lids to ..... keep the bears from opening them and also tipping them over. never did see a bear though, although Mark almost got his leg ripped off by a huge dog led by a jogger on the trail lol. so we got out finally and gave it our best shot, but as you can imagine after the hit and miss of the last few days we were just ready to ship out by days end. mentally more than anything else. if we were there for more days there is plenty we would like to have done. lastly gotta mention, if your into mountain biking, come here, this sport takes over from skiing in the summer and every man and his dog is an extreme biker. the trails offer the perfect adrenaline circuit.